


After Heartbreak

by alongjourneyaheadofus



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Blood and Injury, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alongjourneyaheadofus/pseuds/alongjourneyaheadofus
Summary: Jo's life sucks, there's no easy way to put it. Her fiancee left her, lonely and abandoned in a cramped apartment in Zuzu City. Now she's moved to Pelican town, the farm is a mess, the townsfolk act like they've never met her, and she feels more alone than ever. Shane and Harvey come into her life, but she must choose between the town drunk and the good doctor.Rated Explicit for later content.
Relationships: Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1: A New Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing and publishing a fic in many years, and my first time on AO3. While I've already got the story plotted out and planned, I'm always receptive to feedback! Thanks for reading, and I'll plan on updating at LEAST once a week! (however, work during covid has been tough and could change those plans)

Jo stepped off the bus and sighed, taking a look around the old, familiar bus stop. She hadn’t seen it in years, but it looked just the same, and she couldn’t help but smile softly as she breathed in the valley’s fresh spring air.

* * *

Life in Zuzu City had been alright, but it was cramped. Her little apartment was too small to even move in, walking to the subway station meant walking against a wall as to not bump any tourists, and don’t even get her started on the subway. The only GOOD thing about the Joja headquarters was that she had her own space and could work peacefully and quietly, even though the work had been mind numbing.

It had gotten to be too much, and Jo felt like she was drowning. Between her job dragging on from day to day, the cramped spaces in the city, and the recent loss of her (now ex) fiancé, she needed a change of scenery, and a change of pace. She had opened the old letter from her grandfather, surprised to see that he had left the old family farm to her. She had always thought it was just a check that she would use one day to take a vacation and get out of the city for a while. She never believed in a million years that he would have left the whole farm to her.

Slightly disappointed, she had placed the letter in her bag and took it home with her. It would be just another night, another normal day, and she would be stuck in her same routine with no vacation to get away.

She trudged home, poured herself a whiskey on the rocks, and drank herself into a stupor, which seemed to be the new normal these days. Around her laid so many mementos of a life she so desperately missed, of promises for the future that had been broken, of so many good memories, now sour in her mind.

Jo leaned forward and picked up a picture frame that sat on the coffee table, tracing her photo over the picture. She looked first at the old image of herself, her bright hazel eyes sparkling with love, her long, dark brown hair with hints of auburn draped over her shoulders, the smile on her face…

Her eyes had since lost their twinkle, and she had in a rage cut all of her hair off, it was now above her ears where it once reached her lower back. The smile was long gone, ripped away from her by the man in the picture: Michael.

Fists clenched around the frame, Jo started to tremble as she felt the rage bubble up from inside her. Michael had been perfect, the man of her dreams. Sure they fought, like every week, but didn’t all couples have squabbles? She had fun with him and he had promised her the world, but then he ripped it out of her hands.

She flung the picture across the room, letting out a sob as she did. She couldn’t stand the thought of him anymore. She missed the life they had, and as she sat there, surrounded by his old belongings he didn’t take with him when he left, she took her drink and downed it quickly, feeling the burn of the alcohol as she laid back and closed her eyes.

* * *

Four hours later, Jo woke up with a start, and she knew immediately what she needed to do. She opened her computer and sent the appropriate emails to her job and to her landlord, saying she’d be leaving. Jo knew she had to get out and couldn’t wait any longer. She spent the rest of the night packing everything she could fit into her one large suitcase, which was mostly just clothes and some other necessities, but the rest would be left behind.

As soon as her clock hit 8 A.M., she picked up the phone and dialed the number on her grandfather’s letter.

“Hello? Mayor Lewis? This is Josephine Brooks, it’s been a while…”

* * *

“Josephine?”

A voice pulled her mind out of her memories of the days leading up to this transition and she looked over to her right, where she saw a woman with fiery red hair looking at her.

“Oh, hello,” Jo mumbled, smiling gently. “And please, call me Jo. I haven’t gone by Josephine in many years…”

After Robin had introduced herself and they made their way to the farm, Jo’s heart immediately dropped and she felt sick to her stomach. This wasn’t what she had expected, not by a long shot. She spoke with Lewis and took one last disheartened look at the farm before heading into the house, where she got another shock.

This place always seemed so huge when I was little… She thought to herself. There was a bathroom, a small bedroom, and a living room/kitchenette combo. She made her way to the chair and fell into it, her stomach churning. She couldn’t believe she had done this. This was going to be awful, she could already tell.


	2. Getting to Know the Townsfolk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be adding more tags to the work as I go along, so it seems kinda blank right now. Thanks for bearing with me!

“Hey Gus, I’ll take your house special and whatever you’ve got on tap,” Jo said, hopping into her usual seat at the bar. It was Friday after noon, and she’d been living in the valley for a couple of weeks now, and to say it was exhausting was an understatement. The farm had been completely overgrown with trees, weeds, shrubbery, you name it and it was there.

To top it all off, she was trying her best to fit into the community and make introductions, although she remembered meeting at least half of the community when she was a child. Marnie was quick to remember her, as were the Millers, Lewis, and Willy. Outside of those few, the rest of the town had either moved in since her last visit or weren’t around to meet her those few times she had been to visit before her grandfather passed away.

Jo smiled and thanked Emily as she took the beer from her, and took a few sips before closing her eyes and rolling her head from side to side, trying to stretch out some of the tight muscles from swinging her axe most of the afternoon. She was there earlier than usual, having nearly worked her self to the brink of passing out, and the few friends that she had already made hadn’t shown up yet.

In fact, nobody had shown up yet, so it was nice to have some peace and quiet while she sipped on the drink in her hand and picked at the zucchini fritters that Gus had just delivered to her. Jo was definitely a people person, but even extroverts needed some time alone now and then.

And so she sat, alone, quiet, and contented as she nibbled on the fritters and sipped her drink, occasionally chatting with Gus and Emily whenever they made their way over. She smiled and waved at Pam as she entered, receiving the usual grunt in response.

A few minutes later, the door swung open again, and in walked a man that Jo hadn’t met yet. He was average height with broad shoulders and hair so black that she swore it was purple at first glance. She watched as he made his way to the corner of the bar and took his seat. Had he been there every time she came in? She racked her brain as she tried to remember if she’d seen him or not.

Jo flagged Emily down and ordered another drink before standing and making her way over to where man sat. She smiled at him, though all he did in return was cut his eyes at her in a menacing way.

“Hi!” she greeted enthusiastically, smiling at the man. “I don’t believe we’ve met, my name is Jo,” she said, extending her hand to the stranger. “I’ve been here a couple of weeks now, I don’t think we’ve had the—“

“Yeah I’ve seen you here,” he interrupted in a gruff voice. “You know, I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” If looks could kill, Jo would have been dead where she stood, this man was shooting daggers.

“Well that’s why I was trying to introduce myself to you, asshole,” Jo spat back, rolling her eyes. “Enjoy your drink,” she grumbled before making her way over to where Leah sat, glad to see a friendly face for once.

Jo sat down beside Leah, smiling as she greeted her friend. Elliot joined them soon enough, and Jo sat back in her chair and smiled, laughing as she heard the two’s jokes, but she felt unsettled by the interaction she had with the mysterious stranger. She didn’t even know his name! As Elliot made his way to the restroom, Leah noticed Jo’s squinted eyes as she stared across the bar to the man sitting haphazardly on his bar stool, swaying a bit as he took another drink of what had to be his fourth or fifth beer of the night.

Leah turned and looked over her shoulder and turned back to Jo. “Hey, why do you keep staring at _him_ of all people?” She asked, letting out a half scoff, half chuckle.

“I had a…not so pleasant experience when I tried to introduce myself to him earlier,” Jo replied, shaking her head. Everybody else in town had been so friendly when she met them, even the children who smiled and politely introduced themselves before kindly telling her they weren’t allowed to talk to strangers. “Who is that guy?”

“That’s Shane, you should stay far away from him,” Leah responded, sipping her wine. “He’s the town drunk and a major slob. It’s best to just ignore him.”

Jo sat back and nodded, squinting her eyes at the drunken man once more. She was determined to open him up somehow. She finished downing her glass of wine before heading out for the evening.

* * *

A week had gone by since Jo had attempted to meet Shane at the bar. Since then, she’d seen him around town a couple of times. Jo had always politely smiled and waved at him like she did with everyone in the town, yet he continued to be the only person who rolled his eyes and continued on his way.

Jo had been getting ready for a big harvest, her kale was looking perfect and she was excited to see how it would do on the market. However, her scythe had gotten dull over the past three weeks as she worked tirelessly to clear the overgrown grass and brush on the farm. When she first moved into the valley and got the tools out of the shed, she noticed an old blade sharpener in the shed, and Jo figured she’d try her hand at sharpening the blade herself. She had looked up some information about using one of these on her phone, and was feeling pretty confident!

…Until her hand slipped and the blade sliced the blade sliced her arm.

With a shriek, Jo flung the blade to the side and quickly flipped off the sharpener before looking at the cut in her arm. It was deep and she was starting to feel woozy as she moved the skin with her fingers, trying to decide if she needed to go see the doctor or not.

“Great going, Jo, really good thing you did…” she said to herself as she made her way to the house to grab a cloth and wrapped the wound tightly before grabbing the jar of moonshine off the top of the fridge and taking a few deep swigs to keep her calm.

She sighed and made her way into town, completely ignoring everything around her since she had one thing on her mind: making it to Dr. Harvey’s office without freaking out about the gash in her arm. She held it close to her chest as she stepped into the doctor’s office and smiled at the doctor behind the desk.

“Good afternoon, Jo!” he said with his normal, cheerful greeting she had gotten used to whenever she stepped into his office for energy pills. “Here for more energy pills?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Hey Dr. Harvey, no not today,” she said with an airy laugh, lifting the wrapped arm so he could see it. “I might have had a mishap…”

Harvey lifted an eyebrow as he saw the wrapped arm. “Oh? Well come on back and we’ll have a look-see at what’s going on,” he said before stepping out from behind the front desk and opening the door for her. He led her back into the examination room where she unwrapped the cloth from around her arm and holding it out for the doctor to see.

“What in the world did you do to cause this?” Harvey asked, inspecting the gash.

“Eh, I was trying to sharpen the blade on my scythe so I can harvest my kale tomorrow. The blade slipped and the rest is history…” she said quietly, laughing under her breath. “So tell me, doc, it needs stitches right?”

“I would say so,” he responded, turning to grab the suture kit from the cabinet. “You know, there is a blacksmith here in town who can do that for you,” he added as he started working on the arm.

“Yeah, I know,” she mumbled, staring at the posters at the wall so she didn’t freak out from the look of the stitches the doctor was sewing into her arm. “I just figured I’d try and save time by doing it myself. Papa must have been very skilled to be able to do it. I remember watching him when I was little,” she continued, smiling as she remembered her grandfather.

“Well, I would definitely recommend either going to Clint for any sharpening you need done or at least taking some classes from him before you attempt to do this again,” Dr. Harvey responded, smiling as he worked. “Alright, you should be good to go. Keep it clean and dry as often as you can, and take it easy for a few days. Do what you need for your harvest, but don’t overwork that arm. You don’t want to pop a stitch on it.”

“I’ll try,” Jo said with a smile. “Thank you for the help,” she said as she stepped up to the counter in the waiting room again, pulling out her wallet to pay him.

“It’s no problem,” the doctor responded as he processed her payment. “Just take care of that arm.”

With a smile, Jo turned and walked out the door, sighing as she made her way to the saloon.

* * *

Jo sat at her normal spot at the bar, the seat she frequented whenever she was there alone. It was on the side of the bar near the fireplace, close to the corner she knew Shane liked to sit in. It had been a few days since she sliced her arm and found herself at the doctor’s office, and she had been taking it easy since then, trying to follow closely to the doctor’s orders.

Truthfully, Jo had been thankful for the easy work the last three days. Her body still hadn’t gotten used to the sudden switch from working a desk job to being active and on her feet all day every day. It had only been three weeks in the valley, but she could already tell that her chubby figure was starting to trim down.

The door opened and in walked Shane, looking grumpy and gruff as ever. Jo couldn’t explain it, but she just wanted to be his friend, to get him to open up. She was already on her third drink of the night and had a little bit of liquid luck coursing through her veins, and she had already ordered his usual beer for him, expecting him to walk in at any moment. The bottle sat beside her, still cold but starting to sweat as he made his way over to his spot and sat down, trying to flag Emily’s attention.

“Need a drink?” Jo asked, sliding the bottle along the bar top towards him. Shane raised an eyebrow as he grabbed it, popping the top off and taking a sip.

“Thanks,” he mumbled before taking another sip. “This is actually my favorite stuff,” he added, looking down at the bottle.

“Yeah I figured as much, considering that’s the same bottle you have in your hand every night I’m in here,” Jo responded as she sipped on her Jack and Coke.

“Well if you worked for Joja Mart you’d understand the need for a drink every night,” he spat, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything like that,” she snapped back, rolling her eyes at him. “I was just pointing out that I noticed this seemed to be your go-to, and for your information I _did_ work for Joja, at the corporate office so I yes, in fact, I do understand,” she mumbled, fiddling with the napkin her drink sat on.

Shane sat quietly for a few moments before he said anything else, sipping his beer and eyeing her arm.

“So what did you do the other day? You passed me in town and didn’t wave or anything,” he said, nodding his head toward her bandaged arm.  
  
“Oh, I just had an accident while sharpening my scythe,” she responded while looking down at her arm, shocked that he was actually asking her a question. “Eight stitches and I’m having to rest until they come out,” she added, grimacing. “There’s so much work I want to be doing on the farm but I can’t do it now thanks to my own stupidity.”

“Hm. Shoulda figured something was wrong with you when you didn’t annoyingly try to wave and talk to me,” he grumbled before finishing up the beer that Jo had given to him. She sat quietly and turned the corner of her mouth up, a little happy that he had taken notice of her friendliness.

The two sat in silence until Jo finished her drink and stood up, wobbling back and forth from the amount of alcohol she’d had. She nodded a goodbye at him before turning and stumbling out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you are enjoying "After Heartbreak!"


End file.
